Aretha Franklin‘s two-day public viewing began Tuesday in Detroit and, of course, throngs of people showed to up to pay their respects. Hundreds, if not thousands of people reportedly lined up for the gospel-infused viewing at Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
Accompanied by the sound of her gospel music, Franklin was laying in a gold-plated casket and dressed in red from head to high-heeled shoes, with her legs crossed at the ankles.
“What we wanted to do is be reflective of the Queen,” museum board member Kelly Major Green said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s beautiful. She’s beautiful.”
The 18-time Grammy winner (44 nominations) who died Aug. 16 at the age of 76 was known for timeless hits like “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” She released her first album in 1956 at the age of 14, sold more than 75 million albums and become the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. She was also the youngest person to receive a Kennedy Center Honor in 1994.
Aretha’s funeral was planned for Friday, also in Detroit, after which she was expected to be laid to rest at the city’s Woodlawn Cemetery.
Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s public viewing was scheduled to last from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. The funeral, however, was expected to be limited to family members, friends and selected guests.
See photos and videos below from the viewing.
Fans Say Goodbye To Aretha Franklin: Photos And Video From The Queen Of Soul’s Public Viewing was originally published on newsone.com
2.
Aerial view shows line stretching around the block with fans and mourners waiting to pay their final respects to legendary singer Aretha Franklin, as her body lies in state at the Charles Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. https://t.co/Q2P8ldK04p pic.twitter.com/8AsBRYL7u7
— ABC News (@ABC) August 28, 2018
3.
Aretha Franklin mourned at gospel-infused public viewing https://t.co/nWlL6OtEqf pic.twitter.com/mnqWY5vKMc
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 28, 2018
5.
FIRST LOOK: @ArethaFranklin's gold casket arrives at @TheWrightMuseum for fans to pay their final respects. https://t.co/1r5kXFTLkY pic.twitter.com/S1o3cEVGfF
— Detroit Free Press (@freep) August 28, 2018
6.
Here’s the card being passed out at the Charles H Wright museum for #ArethaFranklin visitation. Perfect quote. #local4 pic.twitter.com/82FulYL8Fk
— Nick Monacelli (@nickmonacelli) August 28, 2018
7.
It is 3 a.m. and people are already lined up outside of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History in Midtown Detroit to see the body of Aretha Franklin. I guess that includes me. But I’m a journalist. I don’t clock in, I don’t clock out. pic.twitter.com/FYnjPFJEbR
— Branden (@JustCallmeBHunt) August 28, 2018
8.
The body of #ArethaFranklin arrived at the Charles H. Wright Museum in #Detroit this morning in this 1936 LaSalle from Swanson Funeral Home for the first day of public visitation. @freep pic.twitter.com/XPnpkVkMD7
— Kristen Shamus (@KristenShamus) August 28, 2018
11. Fans Of Soul Legend Aretha Franklin Pay Their Respects As Her Body Lies In Repose In Detroit
(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
12. Fans Of Soul Legend Aretha Franklin Pay Their Respects As Her Body Lies In Repose In Detroit
(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)